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The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) hope to be able to remove the wreckage from the sea.

When it was discovered in 2007, it was the first time the rare United States Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter had been seen since it crashed off the Welsh coast in 1942 while on exercise

P38 LIGHTNING SPECIFICATIONS

CREW: One

LENGTH: 37ft 10in

WINGSPAN: 52ft

LOADED WEIGHT: 17,500lbs

MAXIMUM SPEED: 443MPH

SERVICE CEILING: 44,000ft

RATE OF CLIMB: 4,750ft/min

ARMAMENT: 1x Hispano 20mm cannon

4x Browning 0.5in machine guns

4X 4.5in tube rocket launchers

Hardpoints for a variety of bombs

Project director Ric Gillespie said: 'Once we have a home for the aircraft we can proceed with getting the necessary permissions from the local government, finalising the recovery plan and raising the all-important funding.

'Daunting, but do-able.'

He added: 'The plane remains safely buried in the sand. We know where it is, no one else does.

'That's the only reason it hasn't been picked apart by looters. Our intention is to recover the aircraft and conserve rather than restore it.'

'That means a lengthy process of treating the metal so it doesn't corrode away when it is removed from the beach.

'We need a UK museum to partner with us in conserving and then exhibiting the aircraft.'

'The
major aviation museums such as the RAF museum and the Imperial War
museum are aware and interested but unable to devote resources right now
due to other commitments and shortages of space and funding.'

The P-38 Lightning in her former glory. It is believed that the aircraft crash landed in 1942 while it was taking part in training exercises and its engines cut out

It is believed that the aircraft crash landed in 1942 while it was taking part in training exercises and its engines cut out.

Amazingly pilot Lt Robert Elliott walked away from the incident
without a scratch but tragically went missing in action just three
months later serving in the American's Tunisia campaign in North Africa.

The TIGHAR website dedicated to the project describes the find as one of the most significant WWII related archaeological discoveries in recent history.

Local historian Matt Rimmer first alerted TIGAR to the wreck's discovery and assisted the TIGHAR archaeological team throughout October 2007 carrying out a survey at the site.

Nicknamed 'the fork tailed devil' by
the Germans- who recognised the aircraft as a formidable opponent - the
P-38 entered service in 1941, with the US 1st Fighter Group.

They were in initially deployed to the
West Coast to defend against an anticipated Japanese attack, but by
1942, the majority of P-38 squadrons were sent to Britain as part of the
Operation Bolero, when the US joined the war effort.

Others were sent to North Africa, where they aided the Allies in gaining control of skies over the Mediterranean.

In the Pacific, the P-38 served throughout the war and downed more Japanese aircraft
than any other US Army Air Force fighter.

Back in Britain, the P-38 saw
extensive service as a bomber escort thanks to its long range.

But it was plagued with engine issues due to the lower quality of European fuel.

On April 18, 1943, the aircraft flew
one of its most famous missions.

Sixteen P-38Gs were sent from the tropical island of
Guadalcanal to intercept transport carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of
the Japanese Combined Fleet, near
Bougainville.

Flying just above the water surface, the P-38s succeeded in downing the admiral's plane as well as
three others.

By the end of the war, the P-38 had downed more than 1,800
Japanese aircraft, with more than100 pilots becoming aces in the process.